1917] EDITORIAL. 703 



organizations which at various times signified their approval of the 

 general policies involved. 



The subject is naturally one of intimate concern to the land-grant 

 colleges, and had been prominently before the Association of Ameri- 

 can Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations on a number of 

 occasions, notably at Washington, D. C, in 1910 and at Columbus, 

 Ohio, in 1911. At the Washington meeting it will be recalled the 

 association declined to commit itself upon the proposition, but in 

 1911, when considerable modification had been proposed, a motion 

 was adopted favoring " federal aid for public schools of secondary 

 grade, providing secondary education in agriculture, home economics, 

 the trades and industries, including manual training, and for the 

 education and professional training of teachers for these schools in 

 the several States as may be determined by the legislature." The 

 association also declared its belief that legislation to this end 

 should be " in harmony with the Morrill and Hatch Acts, preserving 

 the autonomy of the several States in the distribution of funds and 

 in the administration of secondary education as now provided in the 

 case of the agricultural colleges and experiment stations." 



The measure ultimately adopted was introduced into the Sixty- 

 fourth Congress by Senator Hoke Smith on December 7, 1915, and 

 was passed by the Senate with amendments July 31, 1916. Its early 

 enactment was strongly urged by President Wilson in addressing 

 Congress at its reopening in the following December, as " of vital 

 importance to the whole country because it concerns a matter too 

 long neglected, upon which the thorough industrial preparation of 

 the country for the critical years of economic development imme- 

 diately ahead of us in very large measure depends .... It contains 

 plans which affect all interests and all parts of the country, and I am 

 sure that there is no legislation now pending before the Congress 

 whose passage the country awaits with more thoughtful approval or 

 greater impatience to see a great and admirable thing set in the way 

 of being done." 



In January, 1917, the bill passed the House, with amendments sub- 

 stituting the text of a somewhat similar bill previously introduced by 

 Hon. D. M. Hughes of Georgia. After a period in conference for 

 the adjustment of differences, the most important of which related to 

 the composition of the administrative board, the status of home eco- 

 nomics instruction, and the manner of providing the appropriations, 

 a complete agreement was reached and the new law was signed by 

 President Wilson on February 23, 1917. 



As an expression of educational policy, the new act embodies some 

 important departures from previous legislation. It makes provision 

 for the training within the schools of a large group of our popula- 



